The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention(s). It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art, or material, to the presently described or claimed inventions, or that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of vehicle body protectors and more specifically relates to a truck chaps system.
2. Description of Related Art
A vehicle may be at least the second largest purchase that most individuals will make in their lifetime. Because of this, a vehicle, especially a new one, is an investment. Most modern people consider owning a vehicle as a necessity because of commuting distances. A vehicle has to provide at least a certain amount of service to be cost effective, and then preferably be in good re-sell or trade in condition to reduce the out-of-pocket cost when the time comes to buy a new vehicle. Scratches and dents in the body of a vehicle mar the appearance and therefore will reduce the value of the trade in or sale price.
On a pickup, the bed sides and tailgate generally show the most marks and damage from normal wear and tear. Unfortunately, when a vehicle gets well used by the owner, the signs of wear and tear are obvious on the exterior of the body. In addition, body damage can also enable the rusting process to commence which can structurally affect the vehicle. A well-used vehicle provides a valued service to the owner. Many times owners like to haul contents within the confines of the truck bed. Wind caused during travel, may cause contents to fly out. This is not desirable. A need exists for an invention that can prolong the higher values of a vehicle because of preserved aesthetic appearance despite the vehicle being well used.
Several attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems such as those found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,560 to Michael F. Balanky; U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,824 to Percy B. Radke; U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,227 to Thomas C. Falzone; U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,883 to Jesse A. Johns; U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,179 to Alan G. Imlach; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,964 to Daniel J. Smith. This prior art is representative of truck body protecting means. However, none of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed.
Preferably, a truck chaps system should provide protection for truck beds and bed box sides as well as be useful for containing truck bed contents and, yet would operate reliably and be manufactured at a modest expense. Thus, a need exists for a reliable truck chaps system to reduce the normal wear and tear that occurs to pick up trucks when used for work such that maximum re-sale value may be realized. The present invention must be able to be multi-functional as a ‘tarping’ means to avoid the above-mentioned problems.